It Is Finished Audio

Monday, April 27, 2020

King of kings and Lord of lords: Heaven and Hell (Part 2)


What is in Heaven? 

“But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). 



            When you think of Heaven, what have you pictured as being there? We have all seen the beautiful Heaven paintings that various artists have made over the centuries, but are they real, or is there more to Heaven where even the best artist cannot relay in the most eloquent painting? What is in Heaven that we should all be looking forward to seeing and not seeing? The Bible says, “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass. And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there” (Revelation 21:21-25). Few people have had the opportunity to experience what it is like to live as the wealthy elite in their high-rise buildings, mansions, palaces, resorts, or other places of dwelling. The only encounter most people have had or will ever experience will be through viewing the royal life in a book/magazine, television show, museum, and/or visit some castle where tourists are welcome. Nevertheless, God has a place that is far beyond what we could possibly imagine. The most beautiful mansion on earth is peanuts compared to where God lives. We know this because of the description of what He has given to us in His word.

            One of the things that the Bible lets us know about Heaven is that there are jewels of every kind such as gold, and other adornments which decorates God’s dwelling place. The most beautiful precious stone on earth cannot compare to the beautiful adornment in Heaven. Another thing that one will find in Heaven is that there is no darkness anywhere because God gives the light Himself and the Lamb of God is the lamp. Therefore, there is no sun or moon for God is all the light that is needed. Just imagine – there will never be a need for sleep, nor coffee and energy drinks in Heaven to stay awake. All the things that we had to do on earth to sustain us such as rest, sleep, bathing due to avoiding perspiration, and brushing your teeth to prevent them from turning yellow will be a thing of the past. The Bible says, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 5:1-5). We will have new bodies in Heaven. Our current vessels will not be the ones that we will have in Heaven, for they are destructible, but we will put on indestructible bodies that will never break down. This means that we will never have another pimple, or acid reflux. We will never have another ache nor any colds. There will be no more diagnosis of cancer nor surgeries of any kind. Our bodies will be a repellent of the former things that threatened to destroy it.

            What else can we look forward to seeing in Heaven? What about animals? The Bible says, “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9). The Bible lets us know that there will be animals of all kinds in Heaven, but they will not harm anyone. Therefore, the animals will not act as predators, and the saints will no longer be carnivores in Heaven. Everyone, including the animals, will be on a plant-based diet. Sorry to all you steak lovers! Bar-be-ques with beef sirloin and rib tips will not be served.

            Is there food in Heaven? If so, what will we eat? Will there be a need to eat? Well, due to having new bodies, we will not starve as we could have experienced in our human bodies from not eating because these bodies are indestructible. God, however, did Adam and Eve food to eat even though they had not yet sinned. The Bible says, “And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden” (Genesis 2:16). Adam and Eve had not sinned where they would have died without eating and drinking, but God gave them food to eat. We also know that there is food in Heaven because God sent down manna from Heaven for the Children of Israel to eat when they were in the wilderness. The Bible says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions” (Exodus 16:4).         

            In heaven, even though there is food, we will not have to eat because we are hungry or drink because we are thirsty, but we will be able to do so just for the pleasure of it. The Bible says, “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat” (Revelation 17:16). Just imagine being able to eat without worrying about your calorie consumption. Yet, we know that we will eat and drink with Jesus once we get to Heaven to commemorate the gift of Salvation that He freely gave to all who accepted. The Bible says, “Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God” (Mark 14:25). We are all invited to the feast of the Lamb where we will dine with our Lord and Savior. The Bible says, “When one of those who reclined at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” (Luke 14:15).

            Heaven is a beautiful place where the things of this earth will be forever gone, but we will be able to enjoy all the wonders that God has in store for us. The Bible says, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:1-4). To be able to be in the presence of God will be so amazing for those who have accepted Him into their hearts, souls, and minds. The invitation has been sent. All one has to do is accept it in order to have their RSVP by way of being written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The Bible says, “And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God” (Revelation 19:9).

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